Pressure regulator



y 1950 E. N. PANNER 2,509,839

PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 11, 1948 \35 Fig. 3

l /3 2 25 2 /5 /5 l6 5 2 34 i i g /9 I l a /8 9 k i j I I l/ l v f 9 7 16 g I 1 20 ii /0 7 Elmer N. Panner Q INVENTOR. ,E I" BY 3mm WWW 29m Patented May 30, 1950 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE" PRES SURE REGULATOR Elmer N. Panner, Shawnee, kla., assignor. to

Owen M. Banner, Shawnee, Okla.

Application October 11, 1948, Serial No. 53,958

is to provide a pressure-regulator of the above kind which is very simple. and durable in .con-. struction :and highly. efiicient in. operation.

Arfurther object ofthe inventionis to. provide,a...pressure -regulat0r...of the above kind which may. be'..1'eadi1y ,and;.economically manufactured andeasily;installedbetween sections of well tubing.

The exact nature oftheupresent. invention, as.

well as other objects andmfeatures thereof will become-apparent from the 1 following description when. considered ,in.connection with the accome panying drawing, ,in which:

Figure 1 .is a central, vertical sectional-view of a pressure regulator constructed in accord-Y ance with the ,present. invention and installed beween adjacent well tubing sections;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on a line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in elevation, and partly in central vertical section, showing a modification.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 5 indicates a valve casing having a reduced internally threaded lower end portion 6 and provided intermediate its ends with an internal annular flange l, the lower part of the larger upper end portion of said valve casing being externally threaded as at B to screw into the upper end of a well tubing section 9. A bushing II] is screwed into the end portion 6 and clamps a valve seat member ll against the flange l. A tubular fitting l2 has a reduced lower end portion tightly fitted and secured in the upper end of the valve casing 5, and this fitting has an axial cylindrical bore l3 through which a plunger I4 is slidably extended. The fitting I2 also has a thick wall through which extend a series of open ended Venturi passages I5 disposed parallel with about the bore I 3. At its lower end, the plunger I4 is provided with a valve head adapted to seat downwardly against the seat member II, said head including a hollow enlarged end It of the plunger whose upper reduced portion I1 is adapted to engage and compress an annular gasket I8 when the valve head is raised to open position, whereby to prevent flow of fluid upwardly past the plunger. The gasket I8 is disposed in a counter bore I9 provided in the lower end of fitting I2. The end I6 of plunger I4 may engage the seat member II as shown in Figure 3,

or it may have a ballZfl loosely disposed therein to engage said seat member as shown in Figure 1.

Screwed centrally of and into the upper end of the fitting I2 is a cylinder 2I having a bore 22 of the same diameter as and registered with the bore I3 of fitting I2, and rforming a pressure chamber adapted to have gas, air'or lilre fiuid placed therein under predetermined pressure. Movable in the bore 22 is a free piston 23 adapted to be forced downwardly against the plunger I4 by the pressure of this-fluid to seat the valve I head. The plunger I4 and piston 23 havepacking cups 24 and '2E0n-their. adjacent ends to respectively prevent upward passage of fluid to and downward passage oi-fluid from the pressure chamber. At its upper end, cylinder 2| has a .valve chamber 25which communicates with the upper end of the pressure chamber through an axial passage or bore 27 and into the upper .end ofiwhichis screwedahollow .valve seat plugu28 having openings 29 through the bottom thereof. A valve disc 30.ismseated:.iupwardly.

against :the p1ug 28toclose itsoopenings 29,"by a springn3l. through which fluid may be forced into the pressure chamber under pressure and by means of which said fluid will be retained in said pressure chamber. A closure plug 32 may be removably screwed into the top of the valve seat plug 28, and a suitable bleed valve 33 controls a lateral passage through the cylinder 2| from the passage 21 to permit bleeding of the pressure fluid from the pressure chamber when desired.

The upper portion of fitting I2 is externally threaded as at 34 to screw into the lower end of a tubin section 35 within which the cylinder 29 is disposed in spaced concentric relation thereto. It will be seen that the valve head I6 or I6, 20 is subject to the pressure of the fluid column below the regulator, and that the piston 23, the plunger I4 and said valve head are under the fixed pressure of the fluid in the pressure chamber counter to the pressure of said fluid column. Thus, when the pressure of said fluid column exceeds the pressure of the fluid in the pressure chamber, the valve head will be opened and the fluid of said column may flow from tubing section 9 upwardly through casing 5, Venturi passages I5 and tubing section 35. On the other hand, when the pressure of the fluid in cylinder 2i exceeds that of the fluid column below the regulator, the valve head will be seated so as to prevent fiow of fluid from tubing section 9 into valve casing 5. The purpose served by the present pressure regulator is clearly explained in the patent mentioned above. In other words, the

Thus,-a check valve isprovicled.

pressure regulator maintains equal pressures in all wells drilled into a reservoir of oil or gas, and the bottom hole or reservoir pressure is maintained at or above the saturation pressure in order to increase the flowing life of the wells. In addition, the device decreases the oil-gas ratio by not permittin free flow of fluid and gas from the reservoir to the well or hole.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction, operation and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Minor changes in details of construction are contemplated, such as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is:

1. A pressure regulator for oil and like wells, comprising a valve casing adapted to be screwed into the upper end of a tubing section and having a valve seat member therein, a tubular fit-- ting attached at its lower end to the upper end of said valve casing and having an axial bore and a series of passages therethrough about and parallel with said bore, the upper end of said fitting being threaded to screw into the lower end of a second tubing section, a plunger slidably extending through said axial bore and having a valve head on its lower end arranged to seat downwardly against the valve seat member, and a pressure cylinder of smaller external diameter than said fitting having its lower end attached to the upper end of said fitting in alignment with said axial bore, said cylinder having a check valve at its upper end to permit introduction of fluid under predetermined pressure into and retain the same within said cylinder to act upon the plunger counter to the pressure of the fluid column below the regulator.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with a free piston slidable in said cylinder above said plunger.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, in combination with a free .piston slidable in said cylin- 4 der above said plunger, said plunger and said piston having packing cups on their adjacent ends respectively preventing flow of fluid upwardly into or downwardly from said cylinder.

4. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein said cylinder has a transverse passage therethrough near the top thereof for bleeding fluid from said cylinder, and a valve controlling said transverse passage.

5. A pressure regulator for oil and like wells, comprising a valve casing adapted to be screwed into the upper end of a tubing section and having a valve seat member therein, a tubular fitting attached at its lower end to the upper end of said valve casing and having an axial bore and a series of passages therethrough about and arallel with said bore, the upper end of said fittin being threaded to screw into the lower end of a second tubing section, a plunger slidably extending through said axial bore and having a valve head on its lower end arranged to seat downwardly against the valve seat member, and a pressure cylinder of smaller external diameter than said fitting having its lower end attached to the upper end of said fitting in alignment withv said axial bore, said cylinder having a valve chamber in the top thereof, a hollow valve seat plug screwed into the upper end of said valve chamber and having openings through the bottom thereof, a valve disc arranged within said valve chamber and adapted to seat upwardly against said valve seat plug to close its openings, and a spring yieldingly seating said valve disc against said valve seat plug.

6, The construction defined in claim 1 wherein said passages through the tubular fitting are of Venturi form and provide communication between the valve casing and the interior of the second tubing section.

ELMER N. PAN'NER.

No references cited. 

